Welding Safety

Welding is so hot, it's cool. It doesn't get better than fusing two pieces of steel with a thin ribbon of molten metal. PM has covered electric-arc welding since the 1920s, and lately we've noticed a major revival of interest in it. Helping to drive that is the wire-feed welder, a compact machine that feeds a thin wire electrode down a hollow cable to a small plastic gun. It's easy to use: Strike an arc with the wire and move the gun down the joint. Enlisting the help of senior auto editor Mike Allen, PM's resident welder, we gathered six machines and went to work on low-carbon steel. We learned that all the welders are more than enough for the home workshop. After the smoke cleared, we flipped up our masks and rendered our findings.

Campbell Hausfeld PRO-140 WG3090

Campbell Hausfeld PRO-140 WG3090

Price: $370

Welding Range: 24 gauge to ¼ in.

Duty Cycle: 20 percent

Weight: 64 lb

Current Draw, 1/8-IN. Steel: 28—30 amps

Likes: This homeowner-grade machine offers a lot to like. It has an all-metal drivewheel assembly, and many of its adjustments can be made without tools. Its work clamp has a nice big braided copper strap across its jaws to ensure conductivity through the weld circuit. Most important, it's easy to handle; associate editor and first-time welder Harry Sawyers flawlessly seamed two pieces of bar stock after just a couple of test runs.

Dislikes: The cooling fan hit its cover, creating a racket. We fixed it, but then it started in again.

Campbell Hausfeld PRO-140 WG3090

Campbell Hausfeld PRO-140 WG3090

Price: $370

Welding Range: 24 gauge to ¼ in.

Duty Cycle: 20 percent

Weight: 64 lb

Current Draw, 1/8-IN. Steel: 28—30 amps

Likes: This homeowner-grade machine offers a lot to like. It has an all-metal drivewheel assembly, and many of its adjustments can be made without tools. Its work clamp has a nice big braided copper strap across its jaws to ensure conductivity through the weld circuit. Most important, it's easy to handle; associate editor and first-time welder Harry Sawyers flawlessly seamed two pieces of bar stock after just a couple of test runs.

Dislikes: The cooling fan hit its cover, creating a racket. We fixed it, but then it started in again.